Week 5DQ

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Course Text:

• Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education (4th ed.)
• • Chapter 7, "Protecting Good Nutrition in Early Childhood Education Environments" (pp. 254−289)
  • Chapter 9, "Menu Planning and Food Safety in Early Childhood Education Environments" (pp. 344–368)

Articles:

• Goodway, J. D., & Robinson, L. E. (2006, March). SKIPing toward an active start: Promoting physical activity in preschoolers. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200605/GoodwayBTJ.pdf
• Schilling, T., & McOmber, K. A. (2006, May). Tots in action on and beyond the playground. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Retrieved from the Walden Library using this link: http://auth.waldenulibrary.org/ezpws.exe?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1038789361&sid=1&Fmt=4&clientId=70192&RQT=309&VName=PQD
• National Association for Sport and Physical Education. (2006, May). Active start: Physical activity guidelines for children birth to five years. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200605/NASPEGuidelinesBTJ.pdf
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008, November). Childhood overweight and obesity. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html
• Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. (2002). How to manage life-threatening food allergies in schools. Retrieved February 2, 2009, from http://www.asthmaandallergies.org/Articles/managing%20life-threatening%20food%20allergies%20in%20child%20care_files/How%20to%20Manage%20Life-Threatening%20Food%20Allergies%20in%20Schools.htm
  Used by permission of the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, New England Chapter. www.asthmaandallergies.org

Optional Resources

Articles:

• National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2006, May). Resources for encouraging good nutrition and physical fitness. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200605/ResourcesBTJ.pdf

• New York State Department of Health. (2006, April). Preventing childhood obesity: Tips for child care professionals. Retrieved from http://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/nutrition/resources/obchcare.htm

Web Sites:

• USDA Healthy Meals Resource System: Nutrition Education
  http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/resource-library/nutrition-education/a>
• Obesity Prevention Center for Children and Youth, Inc.
  

Healthy Snacks, Anyone?

Knowing about nutrition and children's developmental needs helps to provide a good start in making healthy food selections, yet there are other factors to consider, including children's preferences, cultural backgrounds, and, of course, individual health issues. In other words, it's not always simple to decide what constitutes a quality snack for young children.

For this Discussion, imagine you are an early childhood professional who is responsible for selecting snacks for the children in your program. Some of your children are overweight, some are obese based on nutritional guidelines, and others appear to be underweight or malnourished. Some are vegetarians, and others are accustomed to specific cultural foods. Referring to Table 9-1 (pp. 338–340) and Sections 9.3 and 9.5 in your text, what factors should you consider when choosing which snacks to serve?

With these thoughts in mind:

By Day 3:

Post your response to at least two of the following:

• How you would make food selections that value and respect children's cultural backgrounds
  
  
• How you would balance children's preferences with any special needs or preferences of others
  
  
• Essential information you would share with families about your philosophy of healthy snacking